Morgan-South Rich, Utah

Terrain is characterized by rolling uplands transitioning to moderate canyon country along the Weber River, Lost Creek, and Echo Canyon drainages. Elevations range from roughly 4,950 feet in the lower Weber and Echo Canyon corridors to 9,234 feet at Durst Mountain, the unit high point. Most valley floors sit below 6,500 feet; the upper limit of usable winter range for deer is approximately 6,500 feet on most of the unit. Slopes are generally moderate but become steep and cliff-broken in canyon sections. The Lost Creek, Weber River, and Echo Canyon areas are the traditional winter concentration zones for ungulates.

Interstate 80 and Interstate 84 (through Echo Canyon and along the Weber River) form the unit's southern boundary and provide primary vehicle access. SR-167 (Trappers Loop Road) connects I-84 at Mountain Green to SR-39; SR-39 runs east across the unit through Monte Cristo Summit to Woodruff; SR-16 runs north from Woodruff to the Wyoming border. The Monte Cristo Highway (SR-39) provides the main corridor into the unit's largest block of National Forest land along Monte Cristo Ridge (Uinta-Wasatch-Cache NF), where hunting camps on public ground are possible. The UDWR Henefer-Echo Wildlife Management Area (approximately 14,000 acres of state land east of Henefer, accessible from Bull Hollow, Fire Canyon, and Croydon) and the Round Valley WMA (north of I-84 just east of Morgan) are the other primary public hunting areas; the Henefer-Echo WMA is managed for foot and horse access only (no vehicles). The unit is dominated by private land consolidated into multiple CWMUs including Deseret Land and Livestock (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Woodruff area), Durst Mountain, Causey Spring, Bear Springs, and Strawberry Ridge CWMUs; these cover the vast majority of quality elk and deer habitat. Public land accounts for approximately 15 percent of the unit. Private-land blocks not enrolled in CWMUs require written permission. No designated wilderness areas are present within the boundary.

The dominant vegetation type is sagebrush, occurring across a moisture gradient from pure sagebrush on lower slopes to mountain browse/sagebrush and mountain browse types at higher elevations. Gambel oak (oakbrush) is present, particularly on mid-elevation slopes. North-facing slopes in the unit's northwest corner (Monte Cristo Ridge area) support stands of lodgepole pine, quaking aspen, and subalpine fir. Scattered juniper provides thermal cover but limited forage. A small population of curl-leaf mountain mahogany in Cottonwood Canyon is important to wintering deer. Agricultural land (primarily alfalfa fields) occupies the Lost Creek bottoms around Croydon. Habitat condition is a persistent management concern: sagebrush and bitterbrush density has declined due to invasive annual grasses (cheatgrass, bulbous bluegrass), juniper encroachment, grazing pressure, drought, and development. The UDWR has conducted extensive browse rehabilitation work on the Henefer-Echo WMA.

Mule deer are present year-round as both residents and as significant numbers of migrants from adjacent units (East Canyon, Chalk Creek, Ogden) that winter in the Weber River and Echo Canyon drainages. The winter deer population carried a post-hunt estimate of approximately 1,900 animals in 2023 (after the severe 2022-23 winter that caused heavy mortality across multiple northern Utah units), well below the unit objective of 16,000; prior to that winter the population had been near 10,800. Elk are the numerically dominant big game species. The fall 2023 pre-cull population was estimated at approximately 7,000 animals; the unit's UDWR objective is 4,200 elk and the herd has chronically exceeded that objective. In January-February 2024, UDWR authorized removal of up to 300 cow elk on the Deseret CWMU and approximately 170 were culled due to overabundance, with roughly 39,000 lbs of meat donated to food pantries. Bull:cow ratios generally exceed 80:100. Most elk are concentrated on the large CWMU properties, particularly Deseret Land and Livestock. Shiras moose are present in limited numbers, primarily in riparian willow and aspen areas in the northwest portion of the unit; approximately 5 public bull moose tags are issued annually (Hunt MB6005, once-in-a-lifetime draw) and hunter success is high. Bear Springs CWMU also offers moose tags within the unit boundary. Pronghorn occur in small numbers, primarily in the sagebrush-dominated open country of the Rich County portion near Woodruff; a limited-entry combined unit (Cache/Morgan-South Rich/Ogden, Hunt PB5032) offers approximately 3 public tags annually with 100% hunter success in 2024. Black bear inhabit the forested areas, particularly the Monte Cristo ridge country; hunting pressure on public land is high. Mountain lion are present. Wild turkey may be present in riparian and oak-brush areas but are not prominently documented in official reports.

1. Deer population collapsed after the severe 2022-23 winter; the 2023 post-season estimate of ~1,900 animals was far below the 16,000 objective. Recovery trajectory is uncertain as of 2026. 2. The elk herd unit objective is 4,200; the unit has chronically run well above that. The fall 2023 pre-cull population was approximately 7,000 (per Outdoor Life / public records). UDWR authorized removal of up to 300 cow elk on Deseret CWMU; approximately 170 were culled January-February 2024. 3. More than 70% of private land is enrolled in CWMUs. Confirmed CWMUs within or adjacent to this unit include Deseret Land and Livestock (LDS Church, ~300,000+ acres, Woodruff area), Durst Mountain, Causey Spring, Bear Springs, Strawberry Ridge, and Woodruff Creek South. 4. The 2026 remaining-permits page (queried June 25, 2026) showed DB1608 (archery), DB1610 (muzzleloader), and DB1609 (early any legal weapon Oct 7-11) for deer but no standard general rifle DB1607. Confirm current season structure with UDWR. 5. Pronghorn data is for a combined Cache/Morgan-South Rich/Ogden unit (Hunt PB5032) and does not reflect Morgan-South Rich alone. 6. Black bear and mountain lion harvest data are not broken out for this specific unit in publicly available reports reviewed. 7. Elk cull date corrected from draft: the operation occurred January-February 2024 (not early 2023) per Outdoor Life reporting based on public records. 8. Elk population figure corrected: fall 2023 pre-cull estimate was approximately 7,000 (per Outdoor Life), not 5,800 as in original draft.